A Lovely, Languid Little Lane
On a Lane in Spring
A Little Lane, the brook runs close beside
And spangles in the sunshine while the fish glide swiftly by
And hedges leafing with the green spring tide
From out their greenery the old birds fly
And chirp and whistle in the morning sun
The pilewort glitters ‘neath the pale blue sky
The little robin has its nest begun
And grass green linnets round the bushes fly
How Mild the Spring Comes in; the daisy buds
Lift up their golden blossoms to the sky
How lovely are the pingles and the woods
Here a beetle runs; and there a fly
Rests on the Arum leaf in bottle green
And all the Spring in this Sweet lane is seen.❋
Exactly my experience yesterday whilst wandering along Mersea Road D, accompanied by my guardian angel — Charlie — and ever watched by this chap, who swam along beside us each time we moved:
Neither of us had previously experienced being monitored by a beaver!
Having been housebound for five days, our walk was neither long nor far, but perfect for my wants and needs - a healthy dose of nature’s serenity. Surrounded by nature, I feel engulfed by calmness and the result is always a sense of renewal and replenishment. It’s my personal reboot — equilibrium restored, peace in my soul, joy in my heart. Corny? Undoubtedly, but true nonetheless.
Ever since our move to Kingsville, I’ve made it my mission to explore every little corner of our new county and Mersea D — a very narrow, unpaved farm lane (indeed, in places, there is barely enough width for a single vehicle to proceed) — sure does qualify as a “little corner” of Essex.
Every environment, every ecosystem, has a multitude of habitats, of critters, plants and trees. Yesterday, on “our” little lane, we identified 11 species of birds, 8 species of wildflowers, 12 shrubs, a wader (GBH), 6 Painted Turtles and, of course, our personal sentry Bucky — sing with me now, 🎶 Brusha! Brusha! Brusha! 🎶 (Ipana toothpaste? Gosh y’all are young!)
Strangely, whenever I spend time in nature, I seem to get a boost in my creativity. Or perhaps simply a tighter focus. I’ve had more episodes of writer’s block whilst working on my bridge book than most writers experience in an entire lifetime but, after a walk outdoors, out of town — in the woods, along a stream, beside a pond, on a beach — I come home full of ideas and inspiration. Nurtured by nature! I haven’t yet put yesterday’s walk to the test, procrastinating instead by writing this post, but…
It was a truly lovely day yesterday and exactly what I needed! Observing and pondering the beauty of our earth is the most restorative remedy for whatever ails me - always. There is something endlessly therapeutic about the sights, sounds, textures, smells and tastes of nature and for yesterday’s renewal, I’m very grateful.
I’m leaving you with my interpretation of Mr. Clare’s beautiful poem through yesterday’s photos.
’Til next time, y’all…
❋John Clare, “On a Lane in Spring” (notes below). I think Mr. Clare is one of the finest writers of nature poetry.
1 Pilewort: Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna), also known as Pilewort, is an herbaceous perennial in the Buttercup family.
2 Linnet is a non-scientific (slang) term applied to species in the Finch family.
3 Pingles: Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) is a trailing/climbing herbaceous perennial of the Morning-Glory family. In folklore it is known by the name Pingle.